For years, people have been ringing the death knell of blogging. It’s too competitive, they say. Or social media doesn’t have the same reach as it used to for business.
Yet, this is still a great time to start a blog. And, yes, with some patience and hard work it can become a great income.
Whether you already have a blog that you want to take to the next level, or you are looking to start a new blog, there are many ways to monetize and turn it into a side income or even full time.
In this article, I will go over some ways you can market your blog and make money with it.
Find the right niche
The key to getting traffic these days is to look for some gaps in the market. Going for the big topics like travel or finance will be difficult to break into.
Finding smaller topics within a big niche is a great way to get noticed. The trick is to find something that enough people are searching for while it still not being oversaturated.
For instance, if you want to get into the travel niche, find a place that people need information on that no other travel bloggers are talking about. Then focus on that one area.
If you are looking to blog about products, then forget about iPhones. You’ll never compete. Instead, look on Amazon for products that sell well but don’t have many bloggers writing about. Using Amazon Affiliates is one of the best ways to make money blogging so this is where you should start your search.
Use productivity hacks
The days of simply writing content for a blog and posting to social media and making it are over. These days you need to be a one man band and do a little bit of everything. You’ll need to make sure you are efficient with your time.
Using Google products is essential as they are free. There are so many ways to use these products that it pays to study up on how to use them properly. Using a site like www.supportyourtech.com will help you learn some productivity hacks by using things like Google Docs, Sheets and Drive.
Set up ads
Yes, ads still work. In fact, they may work better than ever. Thanks to innovations in AI, advertisers are realizing how to properly target an audience with the right ads. Because of that, ads pay out more money than they have in years.
Ads can slow your site down, however. The best way to go is to wait until you’ve built up your traffic to something substantial before you start placing them on your site.
You could start with Google Ads from day one, but they don’t pay as much as other networks. It all depends on personal opinion, but the consensus is to wait until your traffic warrants joining other networks.
Many ad networks won’t approve a site until they have over 50,000 page views per month. Others depend on unique sessions, so make sure you find the right network based on your site’s metrics.
Sell digital products
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money, but having your own product keeps more money in your pocket. If you have traffic, why not use it to point to your product instead of somebody else’s?
The product depends on what niche you’re in. It could be an e-book or an app. Let’s use the travel blog as an example once again.
If you have found a good place to write about and you have some traffic coming to your blog, it means people like the information you are providing. In this case, you should write your own guidebook and sell it on your site.
If your blog is more technical, then you could make an app that works alongside the content. You don’t have to be a programmer to do this. In fact, there are many places to learn to make an app without knowing how to program.
You could also hire somebody to make one for you. This saves you a lot of time and is probably the best way to go.
Sell memberships
If you are teaching something on your blog and helping people solve their problems, then they will want to learn more. Offering online classes is a great way to make recurring money.
Let’s say you have a cooking blog. Hopefully, you have niched down into something very specific that people are passionate about. Say, a site about cooking Asian soups instead of just a general recipe site.
People that love what you are doing and want to master making their own ramen soups or pho will gladly pay a monthly fee to access a master class on soup making.
There are many ways to set this up on your site without knowing how to program or hiring a programmer. Use WordPress and find some membership plugins that will allow you to accept payments from your users.
Use the blog for a brick and mortar
Blogging doesn’t just have to be a means to its own end. You can use a blog that doesn’t actually make money on its own but to bring traffic and business to an actual store.
Maybe you have a hobbyist store on your town’s main street. Foot traffic isn’t what it used to be, so use your blog to get people in the door.
Your blog can be used to build brand awareness to your business, or actual customers depending on what you are trying to do.
Do some research to see what people are searching for in your area with regards to the niche or product your store features and write content around those keywords.
As you can see, blogging is not dead. It is alive and has never been a better way to make money. Use the internet to your advantage and follow your dream in a way you never thought possible.
